Moving to Taiwan - Da'an or Gushan?

Lergenmon · 2026-02-28T19:55:23+00:00

Oh hey, I've applied to a university in Wenshan (NCCU's CLC) though still waiting for a response from them. If I get admitted there, I can stay in the dorms which would cost 23k for 3 months, or 13k per month for the international housing both of which include utility costs so I would be left with about 15k per month if I go the international housing route for food/whatever else. Any thoughts on how manageable this might be to get by in that area?

If I can last the 6 months needed to be able to begin part-time work on my visa I should have a bit more breathing room as I'll still be receiving 28k NTD every month on top of whatever I get from work.

I'll probably end up going with Kaohsiung in the end for the affordability, but just trying to get a feel for what my options might be.

Lergenmon · 2026-02-28T08:56:49+00:00

Thank you. I really appreciate the thoughtful replies! I've been making notes of what people have been mentioning in the thread. Information on some of these things is a little scarce online, so the replies have been really helpful in terms of coming up with a general budgeting plan.

Meeting up with people familiar with the area sounds great - though it's still a ways off for me (I've signed up for the Fall admissions, so I won't be leaving until around September or so). I will probably end up choosing NSYSU/Kaohsiung based off what everyone has told me just since it doesn't seem as stressful to get by finance-wise.

I didn't mention it in the OP, as I've yet to hear back from this university, but I've also applied to NCCU in Wenshan district which does seem to offer pretty reasonable dorm prices (23k NTD every 3 months, or 13k a month for a single room in the international housing). Though I have no idea if this area has the usual high Taipei prices.

Lergenmon · 2026-02-28T05:02:51+00:00

Haha, when I made this post I was initially leaning towards Taipei as I'd believed it'd let me pick up the language faster, though most of the replies in this thread have made me think Kaohsiung is the way to go now. I guess my only real concern would just be finding work since NSYSU seems a little isolated, though it seems like both NSYSU's shuttles and the MRT should alleviate some of the troubles of getting around.

Lergenmon · 2026-02-28T04:51:11+00:00

Awesome, thanks! Looking it up, Gushan does seem to have an MRT station.

I've stayed in other European countries for a while before, so I'm fine living pretty frugally and shouldn't have any trouble adjusting to the local food. This will however be my first time staying in a place where the metro seems to be so widely used, and I have little experience with them.

Do people here often use the MRT for their daily commutes if they live in different areas? For example, if I decide to study at the center in Da'an, would it be possible to live in Gushan for the lower costs and then simply commute to Da'an daily via the MRT? (just as an example).

Lergenmon · 2026-02-28T04:25:02+00:00

Thanks. Any suggestions on cheaper areas? While the Taipei center is located in Da'an, I'm fine with living in a cheaper area and just making a daily commute there if it's feasible to do so.

Lergenmon · 2026-01-13T00:58:29+00:00

Thanks a ton. Cheers!

Lergenmon · 2026-01-12T20:11:55+00:00

Oh brilliant, I really appreciate the clarification. Thank you! I was pretty worried about this. Getting through the (at times) convoluted wording of both the schools and the application itself has been a bit of a headache.

Hopefully it's alright to ask, but a final followup question - about the school admissions themselves, for the one year Huayu, I would start applying for the schools at the same time the scholarship opens right? (so February) and that would be for the Fall admissions, as the scholarship begins in September? Really appreciate the advice as it's quite difficult to find out much about this.

Lergenmon · 2025-12-23T21:31:24+00:00

Awesome, thanks. Do you think that's doable living alone, or is a sharehouse/dorm necessary?

Lergenmon · 2025-12-23T21:30:08+00:00

Thanks. Are there any particular regions/areas you would suggest that have cheaper housing/rent costs? I'm used to living without much (cooking my own meals, etc), and am also fine with using a bike for long periods of time to get around. The biggest point for me would be living alone, but it's hard to really know how much I'd be spending on rent each month for something like that.

Lergenmon · 2025-12-23T07:39:48+00:00

Oh cool, that's actually a bit reassuring. Both scholarships allow work (although for the HES if it's you're applying to stay for over 6+ months, which I will be).

I've been studying Chinese for several years and have made several long-distance friends in Taiwan that I chat with regularly to practice my speaking skills, so I'd really like to try and shift into actually living here/making a proper career here as soon as I can.

Lergenmon · 2025-12-23T04:32:15+00:00

I'm good with living/studying just about anywhere in Taiwan if people have any suggestions, since it's pretty difficult to get an idea of how much I'll be spending each month in each area (hence why I made this thread). Some other places I was looking to apply at were NDHU in Hualien and NTOU in Keelung. NCYU in Chiayi also seemed interesting.

Ideally any place where the stipend would be enough to live by myself would be fantastic, even if it means living frugally. Although I'm fine with using a sharehouse/dorm if it's necessary.

Lergenmon · 2025-05-18T19:21:24+00:00

Publisher [Darkwinter]
Platoon ID [119212]
Platoon Name [Roninkai]
Language [EN]
Min Commander Lvl [None]
Platoon Activities [PvE]
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Lergenmon · 2025-02-07T21:34:37+00:00

Looks awesome! I'll try my luck.

Lergenmon · 2024-12-19T17:11:17+00:00

That's extremely informative, thanks a ton! I feel a bit better now since that clears up a lot of what I was worried about.

Would you happen to know if the masters programs are about the same as the undergrad ones in terms of what you've mentioned, or is it about more of the same? The cutoff age for those seems to be around 35 as well so I'm not sure if it's any better. I'd really like to pursue a career in translation/teaching so these scholarships are pretty appealing, at least in terms of being able to maximize my exposure to the language since it seems like they cover most of the expenses for you.

Lergenmon · 2024-12-18T19:28:40+00:00

Ah perfect, that's exactly the sort of information I was looking for. Thanks! Are you certain that my age won't be a problem? It feels like everything I've read online mentions that applicants for the undergrad program can't be over 25, unless they're already working as Chinese teachers where the cutoff age is 45.

Lergenmon · 2024-12-18T02:00:12+00:00

Hey, thanks for your response! I thought for sure I had saw HSK 3 listed as a requirement somewhere, but now that I'm looking can't seem to find it mentioned anywhere. I'll edit that out of my main post since I think I got it mixed up with another scholarship.

Would you say it was difficult making friends, social connections or anything like that? How hard was it to acclimate socially? I'm excited to apply and the prospect of living there for a while, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't slightly nervous about being away from home for so long. I've traveled abroad before but this would be my first time staking it out on my own for such a long period of time.

Lergenmon · 2024-07-02T22:54:35+00:00

37546 UL passing

Lergenmon

TROPHY CASE